Rotherham’s Roadside In December gain half-a-star just for not being one of those ‘screamo’ bands – I mean, with a name like that there’s no way I ever thought they’d turn out to be an Alkaline Trio-influenced troupe. The foursome claim to play ‘energetic emotional punk rock’, and while that sounds about as apetising as eating your own finger, what RID do isn’t too bad at all. The two songs on offer are competently played, with everything neccessary present and correct. The only thing that really lets the band down is the complete lack of their own identity.
RID sound way too much like Alk3 for my liking. The vocals are certainly from the school of Skiba, while the guitars follow melodies the Chicago threesome trademarked during their ‘From Here To Infirmary’ days. It’s a poppy, yet dark, sound that has enough catchy bits to grab your attention, making ‘This is the End’ and ‘Thanks A Million’ passable songs without any real fizz or pazzaz. There’s nothing inherently wrong at all, just nothing particularly new to stand out. It’s all well and good sounding like an influence, but if they already do it better, you could argue there’s little point in mimmicking them.
www.purevolume.com/roadsideindecember/music
Paul